


Mutual Affection

by Shinocchi



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Finger Sucking, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Post-Canon, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-02-15 03:49:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2214669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinocchi/pseuds/Shinocchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aoba always felt unsettled when it came to the scars on Noiz's body. He always thought that Noiz didn't deserve more scars than what he was already shouldering within him. </p>
<p>But when it came to <i>one particular mark</i>, there was no way he could reject it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mutual Affection

**Author's Note:**

> It's amazing how Noiz's episode gave me so many ideas at once and this is one of the three ideas I had! It's crazy when inspiration hits because I finished this in two days and it's pretty rare, seeing how big this story could potentially be. 
> 
> But anyway, this idea was a continuation of [Under Our Skins](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1911093/), further supported and solidified by one particular scene in episode 8 (try spotting it!). It could also be read as a one shot, with tiny to no reference to the former story unless you squint really, really hard.
> 
> Self-beta'd and I apologize for any errors and mistakes.
> 
> The rabbit sculptures in the story look like [this](http://i.ebayimg.com/00/%24\(KGrHqIOKjwE4Ekt\)m,SBOEldwqbqw~~0_35.JPG), by the way :)

He loved Noiz’s warmth. He was pretty sure that Noiz didn’t even realize it himself but when the younger man held him in his hands, he couldn't help but feel relieve to sense his warmth and his heartbeat that he could clearly hear beneath his chest. He didn't want to imagine what would happen to Noiz if he wasn't scraped, and not a day had passed when he wasn't grateful with Noiz being very much alive right in front of him.

Ever since he became Noiz’s full-time companion, he’d managed to capture small details about his boyfriend, often amazed him as he stared unconsciously at him until the other sent him a smirk and teased at how he was becoming a bit too fawned over simple things about him.

But those ‘things’ weren't simple for Aoba. Things like the smile Noiz would wear whenever he saw Aoba laughing at a silly joke he saw on the TV; or things like the small pout Noiz would grace on his features whenever he came across something seemingly hard for him. Those weren't simple ‘things’ at all. Those were real emotions, something Noiz had not been able to understand for the past nineteen years of his life.

Hand in hand, they walked down the winter streets, occasionally glancing at the shop display through the windows. No matter how long he had been trying to adapt to the constant extravagance he was exposed to, there was no way Aoba could suppress his excitement whenever he spotted something he’d never seen before in his entire life, like the small music box that took a form of a merry-go-round or a piece of local delicacy that often overwhelmed his taste buds. Even though he was pretty amazed with all these new found treasures, Aoba dare not ogle too long at those items, often giving out an awkward cough and dragging his boyfriend away before Noiz could march into the store and purchase them out of a spur of moment.

Aoba was extremely grateful for the way Noiz had pampered him ever since he left home. But he needed to include that sense of currency into his young boyfriend’s head before it took a toll on him.

“Let’s go, Noiz,” Aoba said cheerfully, grasping Noiz’s hand in his and attempted to drag him away when he noticed that his boyfriend was still staring into the window.

“Noiz? I don’t need that, I’m just fascinated with how precise the details are,” Aoba immediately explained, assuming that Noiz was contemplating to buy him the small rabbit plush he had been looking at a few minutes ago.

“Aoba, look at that,” Noiz said, pulling Aoba back and pointing at something else.

Following his gaze, Aoba’s eyes brightened when he realized what Noiz was pointing at – it was a pair of tiny glass rabbit-shaped sculptures, one in green and one in blue. They reminded Aoba of him and Noiz, and Noiz probably thought the same as well, seeing how he could not move his gaze away from the two delicate pieces in front of him.

It wasn't the fact that Noiz had found two symbolic items that had represented them well that was fascinating Aoba now; it was the fact that Noiz had taken interest in something else but him and Rhyme.

Before he could contemplate further, Aoba was immediately distracted when Noiz paced into the shop.

“Noiz?”

When Aoba finally stepped into the shop, Noiz was talking to a staff with fluent German, occasionally pointing at the display pieces they had their eyes on. It wasn’t hard to figure out that his boyfriend was expressing his intention to purchase the items. For the first time ever since they’d gone out shopping together, Aoba didn’t even have the intention to stop him, already visualizing how gorgeous it’d be if those two precious sculptures were to be added into their household. But Noiz was giving out a disturbed expression, and with how much Aoba understood of him, it was definitely not due to financial issue.

“Those are for display only, sir. I’m sorry.”

He heard the shopkeeper telling Noiz, glad that his German lessons had come in good use.

“I’ll buy it, no matter how much it cost.”

“Sir… They are not for sale,” the shopkeeper said, visibly troubled.

“Like I said—“

“Noiz.”

Noiz stopped at the call of his name, finally realizing Aoba’s presence behind him as he turned to look at him over his shoulder.

Like a mom lecturing the child, Aoba gave him a scowl before he smiled awkwardly at the shopkeeper, apologizing for the rudeness of his boyfriend as he pestered Noiz out of the shop.

“Another thing you need to learn is respect,” Aoba lectured the moment they walked out of the shop. “Do not force a person into doing things they don’t want to, or in this case, taking their stuff away with force. But I guess that’s hard for you to understand, seeing that was also how you forced me into a rhyme battle when we first met.”

He was expecting a retort, be it a teasing or an embarrassing one. But when none came, he turned to look at Noiz and was surprised to see a scowl in between the younger man’s eyebrow.

“Noiz? What’s wrong?”

He was sure he didn’t go overboard with his scolding, though..

“You want it too, don’t you?” Noiz asked without looking at Aoba.

“Huh?”

“Those two sculptures. Don’t you think they’re like—“

“—us. I know, Noiz,” Aoba continued for him. “I like those decoration pieces but that still doesn't mean that you could forcefully buy them off someone especially when they had explicitly told you that they aren't for sale.”

“It doesn't matter,” Noiz replied nonchalantly. “I would buy it no matter how much it cost, as long as you like it.”

“No, it’s not the problem of money here, young man,” Aoba reprimanded, giving Noiz’s hand a firm grasp and stopping their tracks. “You can’t force people into doing things that they don’t want to do. You understand?”

To be honest, Aoba had always been appreciative towards Noiz’s attempts to make him happy – their apartment was literally loaded with things that they didn't need just because Aoba expressed a tiny hint of interest towards them – and he wanted to tell him that. He wanted to express mutual gratitude towards his boyfriend as well. That was also the reason why he insisted to eat in at least five days a week so that he could take care of Noiz’s meal intake to restore all the nutrients he’d lost throughout his years of living with merely delivery pizza and pasta.

Noiz was obviously still inapprehensive towards what Aoba was trying to say. So Aoba put his hands on his shoulder and gave him a stern stare.

“Listen,” he said, his voice as stern as his stare. “I appreciate everything you do for me but I’d appreciate it more if you could understand how things work around you too. I know you, erm,” he averted his eyes for milliseconds before he gave out an unnatural sounding cough. “..always take me as the highest priority and I’m really, really grateful for that. But Noiz, please also understand that I don’t need more items to be happy. The reason why I’m here is because of you and you being happy is more than enough to make me happy. Okay?”

He could see the way Noiz’s eyes brightened and the way a faint hint of pink made its way across Noiz’s cheeks upon hearing his words. Giving him a tender smile, he tiptoed and planted a small kiss on Noiz’s lips before he grasped his young boyfriend’s hand again.

“Let’s go home.”

Sure, he’d mentioned that what made Noiz happy would make him happy as well.

And there was no way he could ignore how gentle Noiz’s smile was when the younger one saw the pair of glass rabbit sculptures.

 

* * *

 

Soon, the incident slipped off both of their minds. Or that was what Aoba assumed.

Once Noiz left for work, Aoba waited for a few minutes as he stared at his car disappearing down the end of the street before he woke Ren up.

“Aoba.”

“Morning, Ren. Do you sense any usagimodokis around?”

Ren fell silent for a short while before he looked up at Aoba again.

“None in the perimeter.”

“Great.”

Giving Ren a small pat on the head, Aoba hummed happily as he started dressing himself up. Although it was nearing the end of winter, the weather was still fairly cold, something Aoba had yet to get used to. He remembered the first time he experienced winter here with Noiz he literally had to wrap himself up with no less than three pieces of thick clothing just to survive the chills. Noiz had made fun of him – as usual – but the next day, he soon realized that his wardrobe was filled with winter coats that he was sure that he wouldn't be able to finish using for the next few years.

After wrapping himself with a white scarf Noiz had bought him for Christmas, he put on his winter gloves, checked his belongings again and strolled out of the house and onto the white German streets.

 

With Ren’s help, Aoba soon located the shop both he and Noiz visited. Beaming at the presence of the items he was looking for, Aoba opened the door, suddenly feeling a wave of self-conscious all over him when he heard the ring of the small bell and a bright ‘ _Guten Tag!_ ’ from the other side of the shop.

The shopkeeper seemed to have recognized him when he replied his greeting with an awkward smile of his own. Without wasting more time, he pointed at the two glass sculptures and started.

“I’m sorry, I know my… friend had asked about this before but is there no way at all that we could purchase those items?”

At first, he was worried that his incompetency in German would confuse the man before him but when the man followed his finger and smiled at him, he felt the weight lifted off his chest.

“Your friend dropped by an hour before you,” the man started, immediately causing Aoba to gape at him. “Again, expressing how much he wanted to buy them. But I told him that I’m sorry, those are the only stock I've left.”

Slowly, the weight returned to him as he gave out a silent sigh. He should have guessed it. Noiz was as persistent as always and it’d even surprise him if he didn't give it another try.

“But.”

Almost at the verge of giving up, Aoba lifted his head up when he heard the shopkeeper while the other gave him a warm smile.

“I’ll sell it to you.”

“Eh?” Aoba gawked at the man, momentarily startled before a wide smile spread across his face. “Really?!”

“Sure. Your friend was pretty humble when he came but you’re the last push. It seems like both of you want them more than I do.”

So Noiz properly took his advice in after all.

“Besides, they remind me of you as well,” the shopkeeper continued, pacing towards the window display with two small gift boxes in his hand. “Just like how they reminded me of myself and my deceased wife.”

It took Aoba a short while to finally understand what the shopkeeper was saying as he gave out an inaudible ‘oh’ before he quickly responded.

“I… I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the shopkeeper said with a smile as he walked towards Aoba and pushed the two gift boxes into his hands. “It happened a long time ago and I’m sure that wherever she is now, she’s definitely happy. Here you go.”

Clumsily trying to search for his card in his bag, the shopkeeper stopped Aoba before he could even locate what he was looking for.

“It’s fine, I’ll give these to you free of charge.”

“Eh? No, no!” Aoba responded frantically. “I can pay for this.”

Another shook of head from the shopkeeper was all it took for Aoba to admit his defeat as he thanked the man over and over again, bowing all the way out of the shop.

 

***

 

The two glass pieces now sat comfortably on their bedside table. Ever since they found themselves a new home, Aoba had been staring at them for the longest time ever, unconsciously beaming as various possibilities blossomed in his head. His smile widened the moment he imagined how shocked and happy Noiz would be when he realized that Aoba had bought him something he actually liked.

Hugging his pillow, Aoba rolled around the bed, unable to suppress his excitement until he heard a soft click from the front door. Alarmed, he quickly yet carefully placed the two glass pieces back into their boxes and hid them under the bed, just in time, when Noiz came walking into the room.

“I was looking for you,” the younger man said. “What are you doing here?”

“Nothing!” Aoba responded a bit too fast as he struggled to keep his face straight.

Eyeing his boyfriend suspiciously, Noiz moved closer to Aoba until their faces were merely inches apart before he gave out a small smirk.

“I’m home,” he said, his voice dropped into a whisper.

“W-welcome home, Noiz,” Aoba responded, swallowing down his throat to contain his excitement.

“I’m home,” Noiz repeated, closing their distance further until their noses were literally touching each other.

“W-welcome ho—oh.”

Realizing what Noiz was implying, the heat rose to Aoba’s face as he cupped the younger man’s face and pressed their lips together.

“Welcome home, Noiz,” Aoba repeated after he pulled away from him.

Humming satisfyingly, Noiz leaned against Aoba, the other allowed him to fall on him as Noiz pulled him over by the waist.

“You've worked hard,” Aoba said, patting Noiz on the head. “Go take a shower and I’ll prepare something for you to eat.”

“Is Aoba not on the menu?” Noiz asked mischievously, shooting Aoba another smirk at the same time.

That earned him a smack on the head.

“Now go off for a shower unless you want to starve for the night,” Aoba reprimanded as he pushed Noiz away, off the bed, and into the bathroom.

He was serious about that. He wanted Noiz to leave the space not only because he wanted Noiz to have a well earned, comfortable shower after a tough day at work but at the same time, he also wanted Noiz to be out of his view so that he could properly prepare for what he had in plan.

Taking out the two gift boxes again, Aoba stared fondly at them for another few minutes before he walked out of the room, placed the boxes on the dining table and strode off to settle their dinner on the table.

When Noiz came out of the shower, he stared curiously at the two new items on the table before Aoba rushed him to sit down.

“Don’t ask what those are,” Aoba said before he could even open his mouth. “I’ll tell you once we’re done with dinner.”

_He did it on purpose_ , Noiz immediately thought. But he obeyed anyway. Nothing amazed him more than a surprise prepared by Aoba. Sometimes he laughed at how miserable some attempts turned out to be. But deep inside, he knew that Aoba understood how appreciative he was towards him. What was important for him was the fact that Aoba actually _prepared_ something for him.

With that thought further stimulating his already excited mind, he hastily took in his dinner, wanting the wait to be over already.

 

***

 

“I’m still waiting,” Noiz said as he tapped his fingers on the dinner table, waiting for Aoba to be done with the dishes so that he would finally spill his beans.

“Patience, brat,” Aoba responded from the kitchen. “And don’t you dare open it before I say you could.”

Smiling endearingly at Aoba’s attempt to be mysterious, Noiz proceeded to stare at the two gift boxes instead. He already had his own suspicions on what could be inside there but he wanted Aoba to tell him by himself. He wasn't used to surprises; in fact, _he_ was the one who conducted most of the surprises in the household. That realization made waiting even more unbearable.

When Aoba finally walked out of the kitchen, he straightened himself up, crossing his fingers and shifting his attention to Aoba instead.

“So…” he started, a small smile appearing on his face as Aoba took the seat opposite him.

Aoba gave out a loud cough.

“Let’s see how creative you are. What do you think is inside there?”

“Hmmm,” Noiz contemplated, supporting his chin with his knuckles as he moved his eyes to the boxes. “This is a bit too early, don’t you think?”

“W-what?”

What Aoba received was instead a deeper smirk as Noiz took one of the boxes up and shook it lightly.

“I didn't expect you to make the move. I thought I had the upper hand.”

“What do you mean?”

Aoba thought _he_ had the upper hand. But the way Noiz put it made him feel as if he was cornered again by the brat. He thought he had everything well planned out.

“So are you planning to switch off the lights and kneel down soon?” Noiz continued, putting the box down and reaching out to caress Aoba’s hand.

“What?”

A moment-too-long pause later, it hit Aoba.

“O-oh,” he mouthed. “…oh, what?!”

Unable to contain his shocks, Aoba sprung up from his chair, his face a deep shade of red as he scowled heavily at Noiz.

“It’s not what you think it is!”

“Really?” Noiz tilted his head, still with that smirk on his face.

“Oh God, no! What are you thinking about?!” Aoba said hysterically, his head in a complete state of mess as he tried his best to bring his points across.

“No?”

“Of course not!”

“Then what are these?” Noiz said, holding the two boxes up again and shaking them as he tried to guess what was inside there.

“Don’t shake them!” Aoba exclaimed. As soon as Noiz obeyed, he sat back down, giving Noiz a pout as he continued. “Well, you can open it now if you want.”

“You sure?” Noiz asked mischievously. “No kneeling down? No bouquet of roses?”

“Oh jeez, just open it already,” Aoba scolded as he pushed the boxes back at his boyfriend.

Giving Aoba a final grin, Noiz finally shifted all his attention to one of the boxes, carefully peeling off the wrapping paper. The moment the mystery behind the material revealed itself, Aoba witnessed his eyes widen.

“I thought you would like it,” Aoba said quietly, cautiously gauging Noiz’s expression.

“The person won’t sell it to me,” Noiz said with a voice as soft as Aoba’s. “How did you…”

This time, Aoba gave him a proud, victorious smile.

“I have my own way.”

Although Noiz was very much interested with how exactly Aoba had done it better than him, he chose to ignore it – for now – as he proceeded to unwrap the other box. By the time both of the mysterious presents were unveiled, he placed both of the green and blue-colored rabbit glass sculptures on the table, side by side, as he gazed fondly at them.

“They remind me of us,” he muttered, carefully stroking the blue rabbit’s ears.

“They do,” Aoba agreed as he mirrored Noiz’s action, rubbing the green rabbit’s back as if it was the real thing.

“Look at him,” Noiz said as he hold the blue rabbit up. “He’s made of glass, just like you.”

Scowling, Aoba leaned back against the chair and folded his arms.

“I’m not fragile, mister, in case that’s what you’re implying.”

A smirk from Noiz told him that he was right as his frown deepened, trying to think of another comeback to wipe that smirk off the younger one’s face but before he could come up with any, Noiz immediately continued.

“I’m trying to say that you’re easy to read. Just like a glass, I can see through you in a heartbeat.”

Noiz was right. But that wasn’t something he could help and he would definitely not allow that to become his weakness.

“Same goes to you,” Aoba said, picking the green rabbit up and waving it in front of Noiz. “Just like this glass rabbit, you’re fragile and untainted.”

“That’s why we make a good pair,” Noiz interrupted, not forgetting to flash a wink at Aoba as the other found his voice trapped in his own throat.

There was no way he could win Noiz. Totally defeated, Aoba sank back to his chair as he watched Noiz observe the glass pieces. There must be a reason as to why Noiz was so fond towards such a simple piece. Perhaps he’d noticed how similar it was to Aoba; or perhaps he simply found it beautiful. Or perhaps, like Aoba, it reminded him of him. Completely dazed by the way Noiz was focusing so hard on the small fragile item, it was only when Noiz called out to him that he finally noticed that the green piece of glass which he was supposed to be holding was slipping off the corner of the table, urging him to launch forward to grab on it before it could hit the floor.

He managed to save the ‘Noiz’ rabbit; but it wasn't the same case for the ‘Aoba’ rabbit.

“Ouch.”

When he came back to himself, he felt himself losing his breath when he saw the shattered pieces of blue on the floor; but what made him jump was when he saw droplets of blood trickling down Noiz’s palm, causing a spread mess of red on his sleeve as the floor started forming a pool out of his blood.

Without wasting any time, he quickly grasped Noiz by the wrist and headed towards the sink.

“Don’t move,” Aoba demanded, pushing Noiz’s hand towards the stream of cold water as he washed the blood away.

“Hurts,” Noiz muttered, his eyebrows now knitted into a scowl as he endured the pain.

“A bit more,” Aoba said, worries evident in his tone. “There you go.”

After making sure that the blood had stopped flowing out, Aoba settled Noiz on the couch, returning minutes later with a first-aid kit in his hands.

“Ugh.”

It wasn't even a deep cut, but when Aoba lifted Noiz’s hand up, the scars from the past that he didn't get to treat properly pricked him in the heart as he tried his very best to ignore them. Noiz had told him that his old wounds had nothing to do with him and he knew that Noiz was right. Those were wounds and battles that happened before they met and there was nothing Aoba could do to stop them from happening. The only thing that he could do now, or perhaps, the least he could do for Noiz now was to watch his back for him and stop more scars from making their way on his skin.

But apparently, he failed.

“Does it hurt?” Aoba asked vigilantly as he wiped the wound with clean towel, fidgeting at the way pink traces appeared on the cloth whenever he pressed it on the wound.

“It hurts,” Noiz said, instantly causing Aoba to look up at him but instead of a painful expression he was expecting to see, what greeted him instead was a bitter smile. “Here,” Noiz continued, placing his hand against his chest. “Hurts.”

Whatever pain Noiz was experiencing must be contagious, and probably that was why Aoba was feeling that pain Noiz was experiencing in his own chest now.

“It’s okay,” Aoba quickly comforted him. “We’ll get another one tomorrow.”

“Isn’t that the last one?” Noiz asked quietly, although there was no way Aoba could miss the feeble hint of sorrow in his voice. “Now the green rabbit is left alone an--”

“You’re not alone!” Aoba suddenly exclaimed, almost jumping up if Noiz had not been grasping on his wrist.

Noiz could only stare as Aoba’s determined expression turned into a miserable one. He wanted to say something but before he could do that, Aoba launched at him, hugging his head as he muttered into his hair.

“I won’t leave you alone. I promised you, remember?”

“Aoba, wa—“

“No matter what is it, I won’t leave you alone,” Aoba repeated, choked sobs visible from his tone.

“Aoba, listen.”

“No, _you_ listen.”

Noiz gaped, swallowing the remaining of his words down as he stared wide-eyed at Aoba, who was now giving him a firm stare.

“I’m sorry that happened but it doesn't mean anything, okay? I’m sorry you hurt yourself because of me,” Aoba paused, only continuing after he swallowed thickly. “Just remember that whatever happens, I will never leave you alone. I promise.”

For a few silent seconds, they merely stared at each other, both unsure of what to say. Then, Noiz suddenly gave out a small chuckle, causing Aoba to stare, surprised, at him.

“I know,” the younger man said. “Thank you for that. This is not your fault, either.”

Holding up the bandaged hand, Noiz caressed Aoba’s cheek with it, slowly tracing his features and intertwining his fingers in the other’s hair.

“Whatever scars I have, none of them has anything to do with you,” he continued, inching closer to plant a kiss on Aoba’s face. “I told you before, right? These scars are part of me, they are my stories and my experiences. When I said that, I didn't refer to only scars from my past, but also scars that I’ll make in the future.”

Still feeling guilty, Aoba took Noiz’s hand and kissed his palm.

“Still… you wouldn't get this if not because of me. You already have so many scars I…”

Seeing the scars on Noiz’s hands still hurt Aoba in ways he couldn't define. He wanted to prevent Noiz from getting hurt any more but it seemed like no matter how hard he tried or how much he was to do, there was no way he could stop things that were bound to happen. There were just some things that he _couldn't_ control.

“This scar.” Instead of answering, Noiz picked Aoba’s hand up and traced his finger along the new wound. “It taught me that sometimes there’s a need for me to remind you of things. Like how you tend to forget that scars aren't necessarily something bad. Sometimes they are there for a reason. But don’t worry, Aoba, you've done well in treating it. I’m sure it wouldn't leave any scar anyway.”

Aoba was obviously still unconvinced. Giving out a sigh, Noiz gripped on his chin and forced his gaze on him.

“It was an accident. Stop thinking too much.”

As if to comfort him, Noiz proceeded to stroke his cheek, his other hand pulling Aoba closer and causing the other to straddle on him.

“I just feel hurt that I've broken something that you had gone all the way to get it for me,” Noiz muttered against Aoba’s neck, feeling his boyfriend shuddered lightly under his touch. “That’s all.”

“Noiz…” Aoba mumbled, instinctively hugging Noiz and patting him on the head. “I’m sorry that happened. But I’ll get you something else.”

“That’s not necessary,” Noiz said, his voice clearer than it was before. “You are the best present I can ever have. And you have just presented yourself to me again, so it’s fine.”

Grinning at the quizzical look on Aoba’s face, Noiz gave out a small gurgle before he continued.

“ _’Remember that whatever happens, I’ll never leave you alone. I promise_.’, right?”

“Oh.”

Feeling the heat making its way up his face, Aoba averted Noiz’s gaze, suddenly extremely interested with the cube-shaped wall clock before Noiz nudged him on the side, causing him to jolt on his lap.

“Since my present is gone now, how about you make up for that lost instead?”

He should have expected this to happen. For a second, he almost thought of himself as being senseless to actually allow himself to fall into the trap of Noiz’s addictively sweet words. His initial intention was to comfort the brat, unwilling to witness the depression on his face; but again, the upper hand was gracefully handed back to the nineteen-year-old as Aoba snorted, suddenly aware that this could be Noiz’s ultimate motive after all.

It wasn't hard to figure out an overly active, nineteen-year-old brat; especially when _this particular bra_ t never knew exactly how it actually felt to have a libido for more than half of his life.

Taking Noiz’s hand off his face, Aoba gazed momentarily at the patched up wound again before he leaned in to give it a small kiss. His action was so tender and so ghostlike that Noiz had to take a step back to properly feel it. Unlike the time when he couldn't feel pain, it seemed like his sensation towards pain had been intensified multiple times, especially when Aoba started giving him teasing touches like these – traces that he could barely feel; and sensations that he needed to concentrate hard to properly engulf in it.

Aoba seemed to have notice this as well. He remembered when Noiz first experienced pain – an extremely horrible one, in fact – he noticed how the physical pain had projected onto his face and how Noiz had grabbed onto his skin, a natural yet normal reaction from a person who could properly feel.

Ever since that time, Noiz had been yearning for more sensations like these – of course, with pleasure being one of those sensations, Aoba wanted to tell him, to remind him, how they actually felt.

How _good_ they actually felt.

When Noiz was concentrating with the sensation he felt against his skin, Aoba peeked at him, occasionally giving out small chuckles upon realizing how mesmerized Noiz was. He found this part of him to be extremely endearing – when he would just stare unblinkingly at Aoba’s every action with an expression that spelled ‘curiosity and desire’.

Assuming that he’d finally gotten the brat under control, Aoba started giving him rougher touches. Starting with his palm, he planted a few sporadic kisses against his skin as he traced playful circles on the back of his boyfriend’s hand.

“Tickles.” He heard Noiz said, effectively drawing a grin out of him.

Without giving him any response, Aoba then proceeded to trail his tongue against the outline of his hand, tasting Noiz’s scent in his mouth mixed with a dull sense of metal which was Noiz’s healing wound.

When he licked on Noiz’s old scars, Noiz’s breath hitched, almost drawing his hand back but Aoba pulled it back, preventing him from doing so.

“It could be dangerous,” Noiz mumbled, reaching out to caress Aoba’s hair as he watched the tip of his boyfriend’s tongue pressing against the hideous scars.

Aoba merely hummed. And before Noiz could respond further, Aoba took his forefinger into his mouth, sucking on the tip and pushing it deep until his fingertip touched the back of his throat.

The room was so quiet now that the only sounds in the room were the slurping sound when Aoba sucked on Noiz’s finger and the soft moans that escaped his lips whenever he broke off momentarily to catch his breath. Swallowing thickly down his throat, Noiz lifted Aoba’s head up, putting in another finger at the same time and intertwining both fingers around Aoba’s tongue. He only stopped when he heard a choked sob from his boyfriend, immediately pulling his fingers out and supporting Aoba up to sit comfortably on his thighs.

“Are you okay?” he asked, wiping the saliva off the corner of Aoba’s lips.

“Fine,” Aoba mumbled hotly, still struggling to catch his breath.

Smirking lightly, Noiz traced his wet fingers along Aoba’s lips. He was about to say something but Aoba interrupted him when he took his middle finger into his mouth again, this time, sucking it harder than before.

“I want you,” he said right after he released Noiz’s finger, which was now all damp and dripping. “I want you to feel me.”

Caught off guard, Noiz gulped, eyeing Aoba disbelievingly for a few seconds before he hastily discarded both of their clothing. Aoba’s expression softened immediately at the sight of the scars on Noiz’s body. Before that, he’d told Noiz how he had regretted for allowing accidents to happen, and how he had regretted for allowing Noiz to rescue him in Oval Tower. Noiz didn't need to bear more scars physically than what he was already shouldering within him. But similarly, Noiz distracted him with a deep kiss.

“Don’t think too much,” he said, pulling Aoba closer by the waist and inching his fingers nearer to Aoba’s hole. “It’s not something you could help.”

Nodding, Aoba returned Noiz’s kiss, clinging onto him as he felt the fingers he was sucking on just minutes ago entering him slowly, pushing his inner walls open and forcing a few quiet sobs out of his mouth.

“Okay?” Noiz whispered in Aoba’s ear, observing his reaction as he pushed his fingers deeper.

Aoba merely nodded and the moment he felt Noiz pulling his fingers out just to push them back in again at once, he moaned out softly, gripping hard on Noiz’s back and almost sinking his teeth into Noiz’s shoulder to contain his voice.

He wasn't sure exactly why but he could feel his tension surprisingly higher than usual today. Noiz obviously noticed it too, judging by the way his motions increased shortly without giving Aoba a break to catch his breath. After a few thrusts, Aoba stopped Noiz.

“I-it’s fine,” he panted between words.

“You sure?” Noiz asked, giving his insides a few experimental thrusts again just to make sure.

“Y-yeah.”

Pulling his fingers out, Noiz gave Aoba another deep kiss on the lips before he helped Aoba to position himself on his dick.

The level of intensity wasn't even comparable to when he had Noiz’s fingers inside him. The mass heat that spread his insides open drew loud moans out of him as he adapted himself to the way Noiz’s dick piercings stretched along his inner walls. Halfway through, he stopped for a while, catching his breath while Noiz kissed the sweat off his chin. With one of his hands on his hips, Noiz brought his free hand up to twirl on Aoba’s sensitive bud, his mouth inching closer to plant marks all over his chest as Aoba continued easing into his touch.

“N-Noiz…”

“Slowly, take your time,” Noiz responded hotly, licking away the sweat on Aoba’s neck and sucking on his sensitive spot as he felt Aoba taking the whole of him in.

When he was finally seated inside, he stroked Aoba on the cheek, catching him in a desperate kiss and wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s torso, feeling their sweat-slicked skin pressing against each other.

What distracted him was a small giggle he heard from Aoba and he looked up just in time to see Aoba giving him a smirk.

“You’re pretty aroused too, I see,” Aoba teased as he wiped the sweat off Noiz’s forehead. “I can feel you inside me so clearly.”

“That’s because you wouldn't stop arousing me,” Noiz responded with a smirk of his own. “Who was the one who can’t wait to have my dick inside him?”

That response drew a pout out of Aoba as he patted Noiz a bit harder on the head.

“Anyway, since you've aroused me, I assume you would be taking the responsibility to finish up what you started?” Noiz said, licking his lips and thrusting up once to urge Aoba on.

“You… perverted brat.”

And he caught him in a sloppy kiss, the arousal between them more pronounced the moment Aoba started moving his hips on Noiz’s dick, their tongue tangling with each other as they desperately seek out for each other’s warmth. It was something Noiz never got to know. A sensation that was once so dull, but yet now it was so ferociously addictive that he couldn't help but feel himself being pushed to the edge.

When they first had sex, all Noiz felt was intense pleasure that had electrified every one of his nerves. _Ah, so this is how sex feels like_ , he once thought. But soon, as the frequency of their lovemaking session increased, he soon realized that this was not what sex felt like – it was how _Aoba_ felt like.

He was sure that it would never be the same with someone else. Because to him, Aoba was never ‘someone else’. They started their relationship with a heated match, progressed in an awkward pace, and now, they were a mix of everything, of emotions, and of passionate chemistry.

It was how Noiz felt being human – how he felt finally being human to someone important to him.

“Ah, Noiz, I’m gonna…” Aoba’s call of his name distracted his thought as he shifted his attention back to his boyfriend. Instinctively kissing the tears off the corner of his eyes, he grasped harder on Aoba’s hips, pushing him down with extra strength until he felt the tip of his dick impossibly deep in him.

“I’m not gonna touch it,” he said naughtily. “I know you can come just like that.”

Aoba was completely torn in between his own self-endurance and the desperate urge to touch himself but instead, he lurched forward to kiss Noiz’s puckered marks on his face, then the scars on his chest, his gentle and intimate yet passionate actions riling Noiz up greatly as he plunged harder into Aoba, feeling himself nearing the edge.

One more probe was how he needed, and…

When Aoba bit him on the neck, he felt a wave of shiver washing through his entire body, crushing his walls as he came inside Aoba, the wet sensation he felt against his chest told him that they’d come at the same time.

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m sorry.”

“I told you, it’s fine.”

Cautiously massaging the new bruises on Noiz’s body, Aoba stared guiltily at the marks, recognizing that he’d broken his own promise again.

“Do they… hurt?” he asked, pressing lightly on the bruise on Noiz’s neck.

“No, they don’t,” Noiz replied nonchalantly.

Even though it’d been a day, the marks Aoba had left on Noiz were still fairly visible, causing Aoba to be extra paranoid as he wrapped his boyfriend’s neck with layers of his scarf before he sent him off to work. He knew that Noiz probably wouldn’t mind it at all, seeing how the brat tended to prefer a little bit of pain. But the last thing Aoba wanted was to leave a visible traces on his skin that may or may not heal.

“I love them.”

“Huh?”

Turning around to face Aoba, Noiz lifted his boyfriend’s hand to kiss on the back of it.

“I love the marks. They remind me of how much you love me, both physically and mentally.”

Even when he was so distracted by the self-guilt within him, Noiz still never failed to fluster him. He wanted to smack the brat on the head again but he halted, realizing that that action may potentially hurt him again.

“Anyway,” Noiz continued, seemingly ignorant towards Aoba’s contradiction. “I have something for you.”

When Aoba quirked a curious eyebrow at him, Noiz left the bed, searching around in his briefcase and retrieving two gift boxes.

_Did Noiz manage to purchase a similar pair of the rabbit-shaped glass sculptures?_ Aoba thought. Intending to voice out his suspicions, he started.

“Noiz, wh—“

Suddenly, the whole room sank into darkness and Aoba could see and hear nothing but the rustling sounds of fabric near him. He blinked a few times to adjust to the dark and the moment he located Noiz’s outline, he immediately called out to him.

“Noiz, what’s happening? Is it a power outage?”

But Noiz didn't answer him. The silence was spreading a bit too long for his liking and the tension was starting to distress him. So instead of waiting for an answer, he was about to leave the bed to check out the lights when Noiz pushed him back.

“Calm down.”

Noiz’s voice was steady, but Aoba swore that he felt the tips of his boyfriend’s fingers shiver when they made skin contact. It seemed like Noiz knew what was happening so, trusting his boyfriend, Aoba settled back to the bed, impatiently waiting for the next thing to happen.

And then, it came.

As fast as how the darkness fell.

The next time Aoba blinked his eyes, he was staring at a ceiling filled with glowing stars. A few screens started popping out around him as he stared, dumbfounded, at the sudden magnificence. He didn’t know what he should be expecting. It was probably some kind of system malfunction in their house but when he finally set his eyes on one of the hologram screens, he felt his heart stopped beating for a second.

 

_Wow, this place is huge! How much did you spend on this?_

_Noiz, I said no recording when I’m in the shower!_

_Do you really think I look fine? I mean, this is the first time I’m wearing this…_

 

His mind was in a state of mess, unsure of what to think and unable to form a coherent thought. The surprise caught him completely off guard and all he could do was stared as videos after videos of their memories flashed across his eyes. Finally, everything stopped playing and all the holograms collapsed, until there was only one left right in front of him.

 

_Seragaki Aoba, will you…_

 

His eyes were completely damped by what he saw in front of him. The weight he felt beside him was what distracted him as he turned, surprised to see Noiz leaning so close to him.

“Noiz.. what…”

The next thing he saw effectively snatched all his composure away from him.

It was a bouquet of roses, the two gift boxes now unwrapped, revealing another two smaller boxes.

Then, Noiz was in front of him, on his knee, and with one of the boxes in his hand, now properly opened. He could do nothing but stare as Noiz smiled at him.

And he couldn't think about anything else but his boyfriend when Noiz took his hand in his.

The only thing he could hear was Noiz’s voice, that calm, husky voice, and the question he’d just thrown at him.

 

He thought Noiz had gone overboard again when he saw the two gift boxes, assuming that he'd found something similar. But this was  _way_ past his expectations. 

And it was definitely something  _way_ better.

 

If there was  _one mark_ that they'd accept willingly, it'd be this. This is  _the one_. They'd continue leaving important marks on each other's bodies and on each other's lives. They'd continue healing each other's wounds. They'd continue holding each other while they endured their pains. But this was the  _one mark_ that they'd swear upon. And Aoba wouldn't want to share this kind of affection with Noiz in any other way, the person whom he'd refer to as his  _husband_ , a form of address he'd be sharing mutually with Noiz and also a prominent mark that would stay with them for the rest of their lives.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you noticed my expectations towards the upcoming NoiAo drama cd :")


End file.
